Heart Research UK and Just Strong Partnership: Becky’s Story Posted on August 22, 2024May 23, 2025 by laure@heartresearch.org.uk “The idea that, as a young, active, and fit woman who was always on the go, I could be going into heart failure didn’t cross my mind, and it certainly didn’t cross the minds of the people around me” Becky Giblin, a Just Strong ambassador, opens up about her life-changing heart failure diagnosis at just 22 years old. Now at 29, Becky shares her inspiring journey as part of a new partnership between Heart Research UK’s HER disease campaign and Just Strong. Becky shares: “When I was admitted to the hospital, my ejection fraction or my heart function was at 13%. But thanks to incredible medication, wonderful research and a medical team that believed in me, I was able to improve my heart function based only on medications.” In the past six years, Becky has made remarkable progress in her heart health. Today, she leads a full life — working a regular job, staying active at the gym, and enjoying time with friends each week. “There was a life on the other side of my diagnosis, but it is not lost on me how often that is not true for so many people, particularly for young women. I was one of the lucky ones, but the statistics show there are far too many of us losing our lives to heart conditions.” Buy your limited edition t-shirt here
Redefining Resolutions: Beating Quitter’s Day Posted on January 11, 2024May 28, 2025 by Sarah Gill As every January welcomes a wave of New Year’s resolutions, there’s a familiar phenomenon of the Quitter’s Day, when many people give up on their goals. Affecting countless resolutions every year, the 12th January marks Quitter’s Day, the day when many will no longer commit to their New Year goals. However, amidst these faltering commitments, there are individuals who defy these odds and strive towards their goals. One such inspiring individual is John Hissett, whose remarkable journey inspires resilience. Having lost his mother to a cardiac arrest and his niece, Izzy, to Tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect, John’s story is one of personal loss. Turning his grief into a powerful force for positive change, John channelled his passion for running to make a significant impact on the fight against heart diseases. For three consecutive years, John participated in the Great North Run, rallying support and fundraising for Heart Research UK, which will continue to support the work researchers do to stop heart diseases. In the year 2023, he teamed up with his wife, Ruth, and together they raised an impressive total of over £1,000. For him, running isn’t just a personal challenge, it’s a heartfelt commitment to honour the memory of his late mother and niece. Choosing to run to take on heart diseases and his commitment to running stands as a reminder that resolutions are rooted in a deep, personal connection and can withstand the challenges that often lead to quitting. John’s inspiring story reminds us that commitment and perseverance can continue even in the face of adversity. Let his determination be the motivation you need to defy Quitter’s Day and remind you to focus on your New Year’s resolutions. Our 2024 events, including the London to Brighton Cycle, the Great North Run, and the Swim the Channel Challenge, provide the perfect opportunity to turn resolutions into actions. Participate to build not just a healthier future but to contribute to lifesaving research and making a difference. Join John and countless others in supporting heart research by signing up for these events. You can take a step towards positive change and together we won’t stop until there are no more deaths from heart diseases.
Heart Research UK and Indian Block Print Co. Partnership: Maggie’s Story Posted on November 14, 2023May 28, 2025 by Sarah Gill By Olivia Schofield “My heart attack came out of nowhere with no warning. ”Maggie Sheehan, Founder of the Indian Block Print Co., and her daughter Tess Hucker are sharing their experience after Maggie’s heart attack, as part of a new partnership between Heart Research UK and The Indian Block Print Co., which has created a limited-edition heart tea towel block print kits. In 2014, Maggie Sheehan was travelling to Heathrow Airport on the M25 when she began to feel unwell. Then, the 58-year-old was overcome with a tight feeling in her chest and suddenly passed out. Her daughter, Tess Hucker who runs the company with her, was driving at the time and had to pull onto the hard shoulder and call 999. Shortly after Tess made the emergency call, Maggie regained consciousness. Maggie, 67, said: “I couldn’t move my upper arms and the pain was so bad, it went all across my chest. I came to the frightening realisation that I am either having a heart attack or a stroke.” At that moment, 20-year-old Tess was unsure what to do to help her mum and felt completely helpless. Tess, now 29, said: “My mum was so frightened. She was in a lot of pain. It makes me emotional to relive it because Mum started saying goodbye to me. It was horrible.” “I was one of the lucky ones, I’m here to tell my story, but sadly there are so many people who aren’t as lucky and a simple heart health check with your GP could be lifesaving.” When the ambulance arrived, they quickly identified that Maggie was having a heart attack, and she was taken to Harefield Hospital. Maggie explained: “I remember being in a lot of pain, but it happened so quickly. When we got to the hospital, they quickly identified that I had a blockage in my heart, and they were going to put a stent in.” After the surgery, Maggie went to rehabilitation at her local hospital, where she made a full recovery and was given advice on how to improve her lifestyle. Both Maggie and Tess decided to get matching heart tattoos on their wrists after their experience to mark the spot where Maggie’s lifesaving stent was inserted. Maggie continued: “My heart attack came out of nowhere with no warning, so it would have been a silent killer for me. I’ve always thought if I’d been on my own that day, that would have been the end of it.” Inspired by Maggie’s and Tess’s experience, the Indian Block Print Co. has partnered with national heart charity, Heart Research UK, to raise money and awareness of heart diseases in women by creating a limited-edition heart tea towel block printing craft kit. Maggie explained: “I was told my blood pressure, and my cholesterol were very high. I hadn’t prioritised my health before I had the heart attack. There was nothing wrong with my health. I felt I was healthy and normal. “My message to all women is to go get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked as soon as possible. It came out of nowhere, so please don’t let denial get in the way of your health. I was one of the lucky ones, I’m here to tell my story, but sadly there are so many people who aren’t as lucky and a simple heart health check with your GP could be lifesaving.”£10 from every sale of the heart tea towel block print craft kits will be donated to Heart Research UK, supporting their lifesaving research into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart diseases. The Indian Block Print Co. and Heart Research UK: limited edition heart tea towel block print kit is available to buy now from: www.theindianblockprintco.com
Leave a lasting legacy Posted on October 2, 2023May 28, 2025 by Sarah Gill October is Make a Will month, and you can claim yours for free from Heart Research UK. Writing a Will is something many people put off, but it’s important to have one in place to ensure that your loved ones are taken care of when you’re no longer here. It can also be a way of leaving a lasting legacy, by leaving a gift to Heart Research UK. Too many of us have been affected by heart diseases. There are over seven million people living with cardiovascular disease in the UK, killing one in four people. Gifts in Wills have the power to change the future and stop heart diseases claiming so many lives. Heart Research UK is working hard to fund lifesaving medical research to find new treatments and cures, deliver ground-breaking training and education, and to help communities to improve their heart health.86% of our work is funded through gifts in Wills, from people like Steve. Steve remembers the day he lost his beloved partner Jackie. It felt like a normal evening. Steve had been out with Jackie when she started feeling unwell. She went home, and Steve told her to ring him in the morning to make sure she was okay. But she never called. “My soulmate had suddenly died from a heart attack,” Steve says .Jackie was only 59 when she died and is among approximately 23,000 women who die from coronary heart disease every year in the UK. Steve wanted to do something to remember Jackie by. “It seemed quite natural to create a legacy in favour of Heart Research UK in my Will,” he says. If you, like us, want a future free from heart diseases, leave us a gift in your Will.
Research Works – National Heart Month Posted on July 2, 2020May 26, 2025 by Sarah Gill To mark World Heart Month, throughout February we will be sharing the stories of some of our supporters and how research has changed their lives. You can read each of their stories below. In 2003 London taxi driver Dan Burgess experienced a life-threatening aortic dissection, which is a tear in the aorta – the major artery that takes blood from the heart to the rest of the body. Aortic dissection is a fatal condition for many patients and kills more people in the UK each year than road traffic accidents. Against the odds, Dan survived and went on to found Aortic Dissection Awareness UK & Ireland, the national patient association for aortic dissection, which supports people affected, campaigns to raise awareness and works to improve diagnosis and treatment. Thanks to research, Dan is still with us and his work has benefitted many other patients too. “I didn’t know whether she would survive. I sat praying the entire time that she would pull through.” Imogen was only six months old when doctors realised her chest infections were much more serious than they thought. She had a seven-hour long operation to correct a rare heart condition and then was put on a life-support machine. Thanks to research, Imogen is living a happy and healthy life. “So many people are living with genetic heart conditions without knowing. I was the first to discover it was in the family. I used to love high intensity exercise and had no idea I was putting myself in danger. I was on a run one morning when my heart went into VT (ventricular tachycardia – a heart rhythm disorder (arrhythmia) caused by abnormal electrical signals in the lower chambers of the heart). I was very lucky that I didn’t have a cardiac arrest. Thanks to research I now have an ICD in my chest that keeps me safe should my heart go into a dangerous rhythm again. I’m just happy to be here.” Rebecca Shorrocks suffered a heart attack in 1995, then I needed to undergo heart surgery in 1997. “I’m still here, and that’s down to research. Through the years, I’ve taken lots of medication for my heart, and it works wonders. I’m still here 25 years later, and that’s down to research. I was told I would have 10, maybe 15 years, but I’m still going strong. I live life to the fullest and just enjoy life now.” Hugh Moncrieff, discovered that he was suffering from Atrial Fibrillation. “Not too long ago, I struggled to walk very far and my breathing was terrible. I went to see my doctor, who thought I was having a heart attack, and the specialists in hospital ran tests and kept me there for over a week. Atrial fibrillation was suspected amongst other things. They put me on a course of medication, and told me I would most likely need an operation. I was advised to lose weight and exercise. I took on some Heart Research UK challenges, and I have now lost 6 stone and been discharged from hospital, with no operation required, and I’m raising a bit of money to give back to them to carry on the work that had saved my life.”